YouTube is increasing its efforts to generate more revenue with its most popular videos producers. Thousands of YouTube creators will now be able to launch paid channels, which charge a monthly subscription fee of $0.99 or more.

The paid channel initiative began in May as a pilot program with a few dozen accounts, including popular brands like Sesame Street and the Professional Golf Association. Now any video creator who has 10,000 subscribers and has been verified by YouTube will be able to set up a new paid channel and charge a fee for access to their content. Creators can set their own subscription rates, though YouTube has final authority to determine pricing. Every paid channel will offer an initial 14-day free trial.

A YouTube spokesman confirmed that the revenue split between YouTube and creators for subscription channels is similar to the model used for advertising revenue, with creators keeping the majority of the money. YouTube does not disclose the exact percentage of this advertising split, but it has been widely reported to be 55 percent for creators and 45 percent for YouTube.

The Google-owned video platform has invested heavily to improve the quality of its content as it tries to lure advertisers away from television. The company has spent at least $300 million in the production and marketing of a slate of 100 original channels in the last two years. YouTube also has production studios for creators to use in Los Angeles, London and Tokyo. A fourth will open in New York in 2014.

YouTube declined to disclose the number of subscribers for any of the existing paid channels, but over the summer some channel operators said user response had been tepid, according to Variety. A YouTube spokesman said these are still very early days for the initiative.

The original version of this story said YouTube creators with 10,000 subscribers could “convert” their channels to paid channels. In fact, these users must create new channels to charge a subscription.

I love when people act like Youtube, which loses money consistently, is going to be worse off without their completely unpaid browsing which also involves skipping ads. They aren't going to miss you and millions of people will still use the site. Get over yourselves you're on a business site.

This might be the end of an era for YouTube, if this happens. It will take two seconds or less for a programmer to re-create a new "you-tube" without user fees, and by making them free that programer will forgo any legal actions...

YouTube was great. Google has destroyed it by turning it into something that people DO NOT WANT. YouTube was supposed to be a place where people can upload videos they make, songs they like, clips from shows and movies they like, and people can watch them for free. Once Google bought them out (promising to make it better and "not change it") they have incrementally destroyed it. I have a YouTube series and it's something I do for fun. I will NEVER charge my viewers, and anyone who does is part of the problem. Google - shame on you you money grubbing thieves! Get your hands off of YouTube!

Seriously? they think people will pay? I'm about sick of them with their commercials before every video and pop up in the middle of the video. Ridiculous. I'm watching less and less now because of the commercial. so hey good look with that.

@JohnKovacich Google is trying to work a deal with adblocker plus so they will not block their ads on Google brand sites. So far the creator of adblocker plus has said he isn't willing to give leeway to those who use inapproiate and annoying ads ( like showing a 1:30 ad for a 2:00 video ).

Google is a multi-billion dollar company, and yet they need to generate more revenue? It's just like the oil companies, they are just greedy. God forbid that their CEO doesn't get his $5,000,000 bonus this year. WTF, give me a break people.

There is already a service that is testing the waters on this kind of thing, outside of Youtube. It is called Subbable, and it has seen significant success. A handful of channels have had their costs covered completely by people willing to donate/pay their own monthly rate (Not one set by the channel owner). This lets the channel owners remove the advertising from the videos.

@Drooski This isn't at all like what YouTube is offering. Subbable seems more like Kickstarter or Indigogo and is inaccessible and excessively complicated for the average creator seeking a pay-per-view solution.

@seraslovely@onehundredjobs@MarcusTheGrand Yes, it does take long to edit and produce most high quality videos. Why do you think 30 second commercials cost so much and take ad agencies at least 6 weeks to make? Sigh.

@joree @barkus851 Ah, how far the Internet is fallen. Used to be that "I won't pay a dime" would be met with only a puzzled "I don't want you to pay a dime". And, indeed, the content was 1000 times better. If you have something worthwhile to share, it's intrinsically worthwhile to share it. That's the "socialism" that built the Internet.

@Aeropage135 The internet is being privatized, because other sectors of the economy are not bringing in the dough like they used , too. Besides, the big trend is to make a lot of money off fewer users in the business world. Everything is now a niche that must be marketed to "upscale" consumers. Socially, in our consumer society, if someone doesn't consume at least some"upscale" products, they are seen as less civilized.

Commercial free paid channels??? I would pay a fee to see good content that is commercial free, but if they think I would pay a fee to see content with advertising commercials, they are WRONG. This is the same failure that Hulu had just last year. Look at Netflix and Pandora, which I pay to religiously. They offer content with no commercials and I happily pay for it. If you charge a fee, then it must be commercial FREE. You already have commercials now, so offering a commercial free options is exactly what would work and should result in increased revenue.

@wwwwtb@CodeBlitz Youtube isn't cable. Paying for somethin that will take forever to add new content is a nogo for me. Sure theres good stuff on youtube time to time, but they're banking off of other peoples hard work. They get revenue from adding commercials thats ok, but they shouldn't get anymore then that.